When You Don't Know...

 

Black and white photo of yarns, both rated to 3360 yards per pound

One of the challenges when weaving is to choose the 'best' yarn for your project.

The first question I ask myself is, what kind of cloth do I want to make?  What 'job' does it need to do?

Then I ask myself the density (epi/ppi), along with weave structure.  Then I work out the design, and if I will use more than one weft colour (either within the warp, or just to make multiple things in different colours) and how will those colours be arranged if more than one will be used.

A new weaver can follow a 'recipe' and generally wind up with good results.  But here's the thing - yarn is not limited when it comes to the kind and quality it comes in.

It is particularly confusing when a large segment of weavers use knitting terms to describe their yarn.  Or that they don't understand how yarn is made - how it is prepared for and then spun - are the fibres parallel or jumbled; how many twists per inch per ply (if there is more than one) and how tightly twisted the yarns are.

Twist imparted to the yarn is going to change the characteristics the yarn will have.  Spinning loosely will mean a yarn will wear less well than the same fibres, treated the same way, spun with more twist.

There are two commonly available cotton yarns, repeatedly used but little understood.  The version of 2/8 I prefer is prepared with the fibres parallel, then given a higher degree of twist in the spinning, which is then countered during the plying so that the yarn is relatively 'balanced' - in other words, not a huge degree of twist energy left in the yarn.  The other yarn, much more commonly available in the US is 8/2.  The fibres are mixed well, then open end spun.  This version of the yarn has the same yards per pound as the 2/8, which makes it 3360 yards per pound, but the yarn is lofty, slightly thicker than the 2/8, less strong, and more absorbent than the 2/8.

To look at them, they don't really look all that different.  I had to change the photo to black and white for the difference to begin to be visible to the eye.

If you don't know about these differences, you might find yourself disappointed in your results.  If you use the 8/2 as warp, you may find that it dusts off more than the 2/8, it might break more easily, it feels 'better' at a lower density - because it's slightly thicker than the 2/8.

And this kind of 'unseen' difference is why most yarn charts giving density are a range, plus weave structure being used.

Just recently I saw a conversation on a group where one person asked for epi for a yarn, and then had a variety of answers.  I wanted to ask how the yarn had been spun; was it open end?  Or ring spun?  

Because these things matter.  Until the weaver understands the basic production processes for their yarn, they are working in the dark (so to speak).  

I go into this (and other characteristics) in more detail in The Intentional Weaver,* and the class at School of Sweet Georgia.

*In Canada you can buy the pdf version, in the US, the books are printed in the US so you can still purchase in spite of the Canada Post strike.

Winter

 

Snow!

Winter is settling in today.  So far we haven't been hit *too* hard, but it is winter and I'm so grateful that I no longer have to do those long winter road trips, just to sell my stuff.

(Speaking of which, the postal strike is still on.)

I am working on my attitude of gratitude, and finding satisfaction in working on articles for publication.  I am also regaining some of my strength and balance.  My speech is still...a problem...but I'm finding it easier to write.  Still need 5 or 6 (or more) passes through anything I write so I can pinpoint the sinkholes in my grammar.

However, I am beginning to see progress, building up on the cloth beam.  I'm well over the halfway mark on this warp, and have done the sampling so that I know what to do on the next.  Or, at least I *think* I know what I need to do to get the results I desire.  

Because that's the thing - it's all just conjecture until you actually sit at the loom *and then wet finish* the cloth.  Magic in the Water...

And now I have the information I need to work on the next article after this one - and I need to source yarns - if I can.  So far that's looking a bit bleak so I've sent a suggestion about what I could use.  

In the meantime, I still have this article to finish so I need to get back to the loom.  It looks like maybe 6 more tea towels to finish off this warp, then set up the loom for the 'real' samples for the current article.

Seems like thinking as a production weaver is so baked into my thought processes that not even a brain bleed can make me stop?

Recovery

 

bin of yarns to choose from

Recovery from any kind of injury is a test of patience.  For someone who has as little patience as me, it is a long distance marathon.

The various medical people I dealt with after the brain bleed all told me to expect a 2 year recovery arc.  The surgeon confirmed that.  When we discussed my speech, he cautioned me that I might never reach 100% recovery, but since I was making such a good recovery immediately after the surgery, he predicted that I would come close, if not entirely.  

Given my age, I assume that part of that equation is aging further. One can only expect one's brain to start to develop a few loose screws as the years march on?

But I have made progress in my writing.  It's still not 'great'.  Especially if I try to write in the evening or late afternoon.  I get 'tired' and chunks fall out of my head (it feels like) so I try to do the majority of my writing in the morning.

I continue to make progress physically, and that makes me feel more 'normal'.  Plus I can weave long enough I can generate endorphins, which is helpful to keep me feeling productive.  I have had to radically alter my daily goals, but I was having to do that because of the spine/back injuries in the first place.  This injury made that imperative.

I suppose I should celebrate the fact that Life didn't give me a swift kick in the arse, but in the head?  Spread the injuries around?

Yesterday I heard from the magazine.  I now have the contract for the autumn issue, which I already have in hand.  I am giving myself a respite time to just weave for the rest of the warp, and continuing thinking about the next set of samples.  I think I have them sorted out now so all I need to do is submerge myself in the 'zone' and weave for the next week or so.

I am also discussing an article for the winter issue but I need to do some yarn sourcing to do what they want done.  It's a variation of what I had proposed, and once again, it is something that I've never had the time to explore in any depth, although I want to.  What's not to love about having someone ask me to take a deep dive in a pool I've long looked at - and indeed done superficial experimentation about?

Learning new stuff is what has always excited me about weaving.  To keep learning, to have the time to take deep dives down rabbit warrens I know exist but have never had the time to rummage through?  I could get used to this...

Why?

 

More photos from the publication A Good Yarn.  I enjoyed writing these.  I felt - still feel - that weavers don't know enough about the materials they are using and the better acquainted with the threads they are using, the closer to success they will come.

If you don't know someone who can help you with this, there are lots and lots of books around that will give you the specifics of the various fibres and yarns.  Having a basic level of knowledge about spinning will help, too.  My particular favourite fibre science book is A Guide to Textiles for Interior Designers, although there are lots around.  Look up textile science on line, I'm sure you will find plenty.  As far as that goes, my guild has one for sale*.  It's 'old' but all the the information about 'natural' fibres is still accurate.

Understand the processes involved in the preparation of fibre and how the spinner can adjust the basic characteristics of the fibre - reducing some, enhancing others - good information to have at your finger tips, IMHO.

And then the weaver - if they really want to understand what is happening - would do well to ask themselves 'why' when they are not happy with what they had accomplished.  What is disappointing about my results?  What do I need to change to get closer to my goal?

Above all, set the judge in you aside.  You are not there to judge yourself and find yourself lacking.  You are there to learn.  In order to learn, we have to think the processes through, and more importantly, perhaps, be willing to change something.  Perhaps, several somethings.

The warp on the loom right now is an example.  I was weaving with yarns that were well known to me, but I decided to change weave structures, and I knew from experience that changing the epi would likely be necessary.

I could have proceeded with the 2nd sample at the same density, but I have the yarn, and the time, so when the current warp comes off the loom I will beam another with the same quality of yarn (different colour) and try again at a *slightly* lower epi.

Even so, I'm not entirely sure I will be happy with my results, so if the first option doesn't please me, I have another back up plan.

There will be times when you are not happy with what you have done.  Take the lesson; try again.

*Pretty sure this one is still for sale, although Canada Post is currently on strike.  If anyone is interested, let me know and I'll check if it is still available, and the cost including shipping...

My books are still available.  If you are in the US, they are printed in the US so they can still be purchased even though Canada Post is currently on strike.  All three available here while my 'memoir' is available for pdf download in my ko-fi shop

Sampling

 

Today I saw someone asking how they know what epi they should use.  Using the same density and changing the weave structure could totally make the textile look different than what was intended!

Since no one had been 'that' person (that I saw), I decided I would be.

Not that I like being 'that' person, but sometimes...well, when you don't know what you don't know, you don't know that you don't know it...

It is a group that I have belonged to for a while, but I rarely post on groups these days.  However, the person seemed to genuinely want to know how to approach designing their textiles.

Since I don't pay much attention to negative responses to my pithy sayings, figured I might as well bring the 'sample' issue up.

Thing is, I am in the process of sampling right now, looking at the best density for a weave structure I want to show publicly.  I had a pretty good idea of where I needed to start sampling, but also knew that one of the two options might need to go more open yet.

So, I did my 4 samples, cut them off and wet finished them.  I got good information from that 'investment' - one of the options is fine at 32, the other, not so much.  I am still not entirely satisfied that what I want to do is actually do-able and I have come up with another Plan (I think I'm on D or E now) that I will try on the next warp, which will be at 30.

The above photo is a set of samples I wove for one of my long ago (self) publications - A Good Yarn.  The photo shows how I prepared the loom state samples so that I could cut them apart and not have them fall apart.  The rest of the cloth got wet finished, including a good hard press, and then they were simply cut apart and stapled to card stock.

(No, I don't have any more of these sets of samples.  Best bet is to look out for them at weavers estate sales.)

While it is possible to read and research the various aspects of weaving (I did my best to articulate them in my books), change one thing and everything can change.  Put a little extra (a yard?) at the beginning of the warp.  Weave a few variations - change your weave structure, your yarn, your weft colour.  Cut off and wet finish.  See what happens, then decide if any of your options are giving you the results you desire.  You may find that none of them do, and so you can sample some other options.  Or you may find you have several that you like and so you can go ahead and weave.

Learning is never a waste of time or yarn.  :)

Attitudes

 

For most of my life I have lived with inclusivity.  I choose to help people, as much as I can.  Sometimes I have the resources to help more, sometimes less.  

If that makes me 'woke', then I will wear that label.  But I don't declare that I am an ally because I feel the people who need support have to choose who they trust, who they consider a friend...an ally.

Because sometimes I come up against my reality bubble.  And I forget that my reality is not another person's.

I'd like to think that - in the same way as I consider weaving is fraught with 'it depends' scenarios - life is, too.

It's one reason why, I think, that fairy tales have so many stories featuring textiles as part of the story - Sleeping Beauty pricking her finger on the spindle, Rumplestiltskin furiously spinning flax into gold, The Swan Princes - which is really about their sister, harvesting, processing, spinning and weaving magical shirts to turn her brothers back into humans after being magically turned into swans.

And so many more.

We can learn so many lessons via the craft of weaving.  (Probably through other crafts, as well, but weaving is what I know.)

It depends.  If you can't be perfect, be consistent.  Embrace the transformations that are necessary to reach a 'finished' state.

Etc.

I'm living with all sorts of challenges right now, and it is very easy to lose sight of the benefits of living to this age.  I have lived a life of 'heavy' work (If you have never woven like a production weaver, you don't really know how *much* labour is involved.)  The problem of remembering what I used to be able to do, and adapting to how much less that is now, is a difficult transition.  But I'm working on it.

Changing my attitude is the hardest thing!  Letting go of what has already left.  Embracing what I *can* do instead of kicking the baseboards over what I cannot.  

This latest, um, challenge? - has been incredibly difficult to face.  I'm glad I had the opportunity to talk to the surgeon, who gave me the attitude I need to hold onto - that most people have a much more challenging prognosis that I have been given.

I think the biggest benefit this 'fall' has been the attitude adjustment.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not entirely there - yet!  But I am working on it.  And as I work on it, I become more 'woke' (if you will) about the challenges that people who are wheelchair users, or have difficulty walking.  I am making progress, but I also have the damage to my spine/lower back.  

So, I keep going, to the best of my ability, to not only see others with my type of physical challenges, but ultimately to realize that *everyone* has challenges of one kind or another.

Ultimately I hope that I will be aware of those beyond just me, to others in society dealing with things - things I may not understand, or have personal experience with.  But challenges, nonetheless.

If that makes me 'woke', I will wear that label.

Mastery Doesn't Mean Perfection

 

Like pretty much every other craft out there, just because you have been accepted as having a high level of mastery in said craft, doesn't mean you never make mistakes.  

Shocking, I know!

So I designed a warp for sampling for an article, then once the samples were woven I cut them off, wet finished them, decided I had enough information from that warp and switched to weaving the rest of the warp in tea towels.

Then set about weaving those tea towels.  Until yesterday as I was just finishing towel #2 and I finally spotted the mistake.  Turns out I'd made *two* mistakes in the treadling sequence, not just one.  If it had been one, at the halfway point in the weaving, I would have called it a design feature, but nope.  I had made a second one near the end.  

I finished that towel and stopped weaving for the day, then checked my treadling,.  Which, when I looked, very clearly showed the mistakes.  I had been too tired, or too distracted to notice it while I was editing the treadling sequence, apparently.

Either that or one of the brain bleed 'holes' had opened and I totally missed it.

After thinking about it all evening, I decided to continue, despite the mistakes, but when I got up this morning I decided I needed to fix it. 

I knew what I'd done, I pretty much knew how long it would take to edit again, and now aware of the 'hole' (and not tired from a day of errands and weaving) would pay particular attention to making sure I did it right this time.

I managed to weave 1.5 towels today.  I was given permission to increase my weaving time to 45 minutes *if I felt up to it*. and I have been taking runs at getting closer.  Today I did about 35 minutes the first session and 44 for the second.

Now I'm tired (again), and I'm thinking of laying down for 45 minutes before I start dinner.  I used to sleep 9 hours a night but over the years my body has gotten to the point where it can only manage about 6 hours.  It's not nearly enough and I have finally gotten comfortable with taking afternoon naps.  Hopefully by spring I will recovered enough that the naps will be fewer, but que c'est sera, sera (however that's spelled).

It Depends!

 

                        Two yarns, same number of yards per pound, NOT the same thickness!

Yesterday I saw a conversation online about the 'proper' epi for a particular size of yarn woven in plain weave.  As usual, some people strongly urged people to use 20 epi, others strongly advocated for 16-18 epi.  Most people were calling it 8/2, so I could only assume that they were using and talking about US 8/2 cotton, not Brassard's 2/8.  (In the photo above, the rust yarn is Brassard's 2/16; the teal is US 16/2 cotton.)

Why do I call Brassard's 2/8 instead of 8/2?  Is it merely because I'm Canadian and 'contrary'?  

Not entirely.  (Although I freely admit to being 'contrary' at times!)

It is *because* I am Canadian and the first cotton yarns that I was introduced to were the 2/8 cottons from Brassard, South Landing and Curl Brothers, long before I was introduced to US 8/2 cotton.  At the time I had been very confused at how many USians would turn their noses up at 2/8 (or as they said, 8/2) cotton.  

Once I was able to see the yarns, side by side (in my own mind, if no where else), I came to understand why the USians preferred other yarns - all those lovely mercerized yarns which were spun ring spun, and then treated to have that sheen so typical of mercerized yarns.

Many USian weavers also referred to 'Perle' (or Purl) cottons as if they were a 'type' and all exactly the same.  (For example, check out Astra mercerized cottons compared to other mercerized yarns - they are not the same, either.)

It is why, when I answer a question, I will inevitably begin by saying 'It depends.'

That US spun 8/2 cotton is NOT the same quality as the 2/8 cotton (usually called 8/2 now, but if you look at the Brassard website on the French page, they *still* call it 2/8.)

I know you probably can't see it on this tiny image of their colour card, put it's still there, 2/8, just like when I started weaving back in 1975.

The thing is, open end spun and ring spun yarn are not identical to each other.  They have different natures/characteristics.  (If you are a long time reader of this blog, this is a repeat for you - but I've had some new readers join since getting involved with BlueSky.)

I've written about this elsewhere and here, else when.  As a weaver, one of the things that helps to know is the nature of your materials.  If you don't understand their nature, it's a lot more difficult to chose the various things that have to be decided on as you go through the design processes.  (More info on this in Stories From the Matrix and The Intentional Weaver.)

I am, right this time, sampling for an article I am going to be submitting to WEFT magazine.  My first sample turned out for one weft, not so well for the second one.  My decision to try again was set in concrete when I realized (belatedly) that I'd made a tie up mistake when I designed the 2nd option.

I anticipated that I would need a second warp to test a different epi based on the very different natures of the two wefts, so when I discovered that I did, indeed, need to set up a second warp to test the lower epi, I wasn't particularly upset.  It was Plan B all along.

Given the hours it may take to design a new warp, there is a reason I want to set the loom up to weave quite a lot of it.  The design hours get 'amortized' over a larger number of finished items.  

As for the balance of this first, tentative warp, it is being woven off as tea towels, using the 2/16 cotton weft.  They have great drape, which is desired in a tea towel.  They will likely be listed in my ko-fi shop late December or early next year.  I do still have to weave, wet finish, and hem them, after all.

Doesn't matter how 'efficient' you may be, you are still weaving 'slow' cloth...

Oops.

 

I wove some full-sized samples, then wet finished them.  Yesterday I pressed them, and was relatively pleased.  Decided I needed to try one of the versions on a 30 epi density, and then carried the 'samples' upstairs to hem them.

While I was taking a closer look to determine exactly how much of the cloth was going to be used in the hems (in case I needed to cut any 'extra' off the sample - because I was sampling the entire process) I noticed something I had not, up to that point.

On the one set of samples, I had done the treadling incorrectly.  It didn't actually show unless I was looking at the back side of the cloth, at the right angle.

Since I had been thinking of re-doing them anyway, I sighed, put the two that were 'wrong' aside and wrapped my head around the fact that I had done the treadling draft incorrectly.

Now, it's not very obvious, but once seen cannot be unseen.  

I had already decided to weave off the rest of the warp in the first treadling, so dealing with re-creating the second treadling - this time sans mistake - can wait for a few days until I feel able to re-do the entire treadling, and this time make sure I don't have a treadling error.  Oh well.

Truth to tell, I hadn't been entirely satisfied with that sample, anyway.  I had a broken warp thread, and the centre field expanded in comparison to the pattern woven as a 'frame' around the edges.  But the quality of the cloth is good, and I now have enough information to go ahead and set up the next warp at 30 epi and weave two more 'samples'.  And this time, without the errors?

One hopes.

And that's the thing about weaving.  It will always, always keep you humble!

Designing Textiles

 

Samples from Magic in the Water, before and after wet finishing

Yesterday I saw someone asking in a group how one goes about designing the 'perfect' textile (I paraphrase.)

I wasn't in a particularly good mood and since sarcasm coated my tongue, I elected to say nothing.  The question, after all, had been asked in good faith and deserved a better answer than I was able to marshall at that time.

I just so happen to be in the process of trying to design a 'good' (I don't set my hopes on 'perfect') textile.

Yesterday I cut the 4 'full sized samples' off the loom, cut them apart and serged them, and tossed them into the washing machine along with the towels from the previous warp and let the machine do the work for me.  Into the dryer until just damp and then they were folded into a bin to let the moisture work through all of the pieces of cloth in the bin equally to make the pressing go more smoothly.

Shortly (as soon as I'm done my morning coffee and gotten dressed) I will go press them.  Once they are completely dry I will pull the samples, measure them, and inspect them, to see how close to my goal they are.

I am being more picky than usual because these 'samples' are for publication (IF the editors decide they fit into their theme.)

Normally when I design a textile, I do it to the best of my ability, and since no one but me knows what, exactly, I was aiming for, they will judge it on it's own merits.  And normally no one will know if I am pleased, or merely satisfied.  If I am *not* satisfied, they may be given away or tossed into the rag bag.

The longer I weave, the more open I leave myself to make changes along the way.  The more I understand about the function of a textile of a particular quality, the more I learn how to tweak the different 'qualities' to change the nature of the cloth I am making, the more I understand how little I truly understand about making textiles generally, and in particular.

A weaver can take exactly the same yarns, and by the choices they make along the design process, they can create cloth of a variety of functions.  Add in the colour and the possibilities are nearly limitless.

Since the beginning of 2020 I have been on a stash reduction goal.  Since, as a production weaver, I had depth of inventory in several 'standard' yarns, I have been making textiles that fit what I know about the yarn's capabilities.

And yet, I have barely scratched the surface of what is possible.  What I know for certain is, that I will never know all of the possibilities that are available to me.

Bottom line?  The endless learning is what keeps me returning to the loom.  Because I want to know.  If that means I 'waste' time and money (yarn) weaving 'samples', I'm actually good with that.  It is not a path for everyone to walk.  But I have been given a fresh lease on life, and if all I do for the 'rest of my life' is explore, experiment, and learn more?  I'm actually good with that.

Learning something new, or even just more, about textiles is not a waste of my time.  If anyone wants to follow along with me, I will let all y'all know when one of my articles becomes available.  And if the magazines aren't interested, there is always my ko-fi shop where I can post them for sale when they are ready.  (Given the lapse of time between submission and final acceptance, this will take a while...)

It all hinges on my being physically able to weave.  And given my current age (and physical tatters) I have no idea how long that will be.  So I will enjoy the rest of the journey, for so long as it lasts.  

It Isn't Finished Until...

after compression (plasticine)

Yesterday I wove the first samples and today I will weave the next two.  The first two look good on the loom, which may mean the second two will not.  But either way I'll weave them and judge them both after wet finishing.

Saw somewhere on line a knitter asking if you really *have* to block your knitting and one response saying no, not really.  

Unfortunately wet finishing (blocking) a knitted structure will provide some changes as it reaches its finished state.  With knitting it is less noticeable in some items.  And some knitted items really need to be blocked as part of it's finishing - primarily lace knits, but also other items.  For instance a knit that is primarily stockinette stitch will tend to curl on the edges.  Wet finishing it should fix that.  Other knit stitches may cause textures that are not desirable, as well.

Anyway, I'm weaving full sized 'samples' to check to make sure the cloth will turn out the way I want.  If they are successful, I don't need to weave more as these 'samples' will be elevated to 'finished' and I can move on.

I'm trying to get through my inbox because several things had stacked up due to my not having the spoons to deal with them.  As usual, they were less of a bugabear than I had expected, which will be teach me nothing - once more.

On the other hand, I was able to weave the two 'full-sized' samples yesterday - the longest I've woven since the brain bleed.  Partly I just really wanted to get them both done, and partly I knew it was going to be slow weaving (technical reasons) and partly it just felt so good.  So today I want to weave the second pair of full-sized samples, cut off, and wet finish and then see if they are going to be acceptable.

One thing about the face plant and all that followed is that I seem to be out of 'production' mode.  Weaving to illustrate articles puts much less deadline strain on me (if I do things in a timely fashion!) and it is letting me do the kinds of things I had not been able to do because the production always had to come 'first'.

I have no idea if the guild sold much of my stuff at the first craft fair, or the second one, or if they will sell anything at the guild room sale.  By slowing down my productivity I will have less stuff that needs to be sold.  Given my lack of energy I don't much feel like steaming my way through a 20+ yard warp anymore.  Perhaps that's not a bad thing...

Information on wet finishing available here as well as Long Thread Media and School of Sweet Georgia

PS - with Canada Post on strike, any orders placed via my ko-fi shop will be held and shipped when they settle their contract.

 

Prep Work

 

This is a photo of an old project but this is about the state the new warp is at right now.

I have two task lights at the front of the loom set up to shine into the work space (where the heddles are actually being threaded) and one at the back of the loom so I can see the bouts of yarn taped to the stick I used to pull them from the beam to behind the heddles.  This gives me good light at both the front and the back of the loom.  I remove the breast beam, reed and beater top.

Good lighting is essential, especially when working with finer threads.  They are hard enough to see even when the light is good, never mind if it is a dark dreary winter day.

Yesterday I managed to thread 3/4s of the current warp.  I print out the draft and put it onto a typists stand so that I can see it with just a glance over my shoulder.  As I finish each group of ends, I mark the draft (which is printed out completely so that I just follow it, from start to end), look at the next group, then pull those ends and thread them.  Mark off, check for next group, pull, thread, repeat.

Most of my threadings are over 16 shafts, and it gets difficult to keep them 'straight', so I have numbered the shafts on the top of the piece of wood at the bottom of the shafts.  The draft prints out using the actual number of the shaft, so it's fairly easy to note the numbers of the shafts in the next group, pull the appropriate number of heddles and stack them in the order that they will be used, then enter the ends into the heddles.  A quick 'check' to make sure I've got them into the heddle, slip tie the group together, mark off, etc.

I prefer to slip tie each initial group as it makes sorting out the ends into the reed easier.  And the way I tie the slip knot takes one simple motion.  (Apologies for the ad.  You Tube puts ads on some video clips, not me - I don't make any money from my You Tube 'channel'.)

The current draft has sections of 'satin' and it was very easy to break the sequence down into 3 threads, then thread those heddles, and then tie that group of 3 off and do the next group of three.  I don't do the same number of ends for each group - I may take 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 - or as in the satin areas, 3 ends at a time.  Grouping them by tying a slip knot in the group makes sleying the reed much easier.

This warp is essentially a 'test' warp for the article I'm hoping to write.  It may require a re-sleying, which I really don't like to do because all of my little groups will be undone and the threads all individual and loose.  I find I get a lot more sleying errors when I do a re-sleying, so it is something I try not to do if I don't absolutely need to do.

So I'm hoping that this warp will give me the information I need to determine the set up for the article project.

If you are interested in more information about how I approach my designing, The Intentional Weaver has a lot of information, but Stories From The Matrix takes a deeper dive into some things.  Both are available at blurb in either print or pdf versions.  And if you are in the US, the books are printed in the US so the current postal strike isn't an issue for you.  :)  

If you want to buy something from my ko-fi shop, I will pull your order and mail as soon as the mail is moving again.

Winter Arrives!

 

We woke to snow.  Falling...sidewise?  Yes, sidewise.  It wasn't really a surprise, we've been expecting snow to come any day now, since the end of October.  It hasn't been as warm as autumn last year, and it has been less dry, which is a blessing.  I don't know if there has been enough rain to call an end to drought, but at least it has been something.

Yesterday I finished beaming the warp and got everything set up to start threading.  I'm not sure if I can finish that today, but it should be done tomorrow.

I still have to mess about some with the treadling.  The threading looks good, but I still have to decide on how much cloth to weave for the hems.  A bit of 'mathing' that I will have to check and re-check (several times as I don't 'math' well at the best of times - and my brain isn't at it's 'best' these days.)

It has been working well to switch the colour combinations for each warp.  It helps hold my attention and to not get 'tired' of working on these linen towels.  I think I've got about enough linen for 5 more warps (including the one I just beamed).  Once I finish that yarn, I will have to seriously look at what I have left in my stash.  I may need to make scarves (although I have plenty of scarves on hand.)  Hopefully some sold at the craft fair the first weekend of the month plus the other fair the guild has chosen to do.  

On the other hand if I can get into the writing more, exploring things in more depth than I've had previously had the time/energy to do, that might be fun, too.  

Anyway, winter has arrived, apparently.  Time to dig out the snow boots and winter jacket.  

And to make sure that we have sufficient masks.  There are reports of an increasing number of covid cases, and yesterday, apparently, there was a report of the young person in this province having Bird Flu, and the strain of the bug they have has adapted to infect humans.  

Might be a really good idea for people stuck indoors with large numbers of people start wearing a mask again, to protect themselves.  Just saying.

Fiddling

 

spool rack set up - this is one half of the rack

I had no intention to do two posts today, yet, here I am...

When I did the class on sectional beaming for Sweet Georgia I recommended that people put the yarn on the spool rack using the bottom row of pegs first and then work upwards.  I still advise this - although the circumstances have changed for me  and I am now leaving the bottom row empty.

This year has done...things...to this body which has meant I needed to change what I was doing to take the stress off my joints/muscles.  

I *used* to be able to squat down and pop right up again, no problem-o.  Last autumn that began to change for me.  I can still squat down.  It's the getting up that is the challenge.

This year I finally realized this situation was not going to change any time soon and I began to set up the spool rack leaving the bottom row of 'spikes' empty so that I could work with the yarns at a more comfortable position.  Since right now I'm doing 32 or 36 (mostly) epi, this puts the yarns in a place that I can just bend slightly to work with the bottom row, and the yarns are still mostly lower on the rack.

Why?  Because if the spools/tubes are kept lower, if there is any kind of issue with the yarns (e.g. one breaks, or a couple entangle) the jerk of the yarns doing a doh-see-doh will not tend to tip the rack over.

This is the Leclerc studio bobbin rack and it will hold 50 tubes or spools.  Doug added another rail and when pulling off the side of the yarn package, there is room for 60 packages.  This rack has served *almost* all of my warps and if I wanted/needed to beam more than 60 ends, I got creative to make that happen.

Bottom line?  If something - a piece of equipment or a process - isn't working for you?  Change.  It will take time for the new approach to become routine, but eventually it will just be part of what you do, when you do that thing.

Last note - I don't thread the colours in an order.  Since I'm beaming sectionally and I don't use a cross but just pull the number of ends off the masking tape that holds the section in some kind of 'order', I just pull however many ends I need and disregard the colour.  When the two colours are very close in value and pretty close in hue, this works well.  I would not necessarily do this for high contrast hue/value - although I might if I felt that would fit the design I'm going to be weaving.

(Sample, sample, sample!)

As mentioned in the post earlier today, I will be 'testing' the draft for the magazine article, seeing if the yarns behave the way I need them to.  If it doesn't, (and I suspect it might not - for one of the yarns, at least) I will go ahead with the project for the magazine.  

One of the advantages of being 'retired' and weaving for my own satisfaction, is that I can take my time when working on an article and do lots of samples so that I know what I'm going to accomplish.  And there are *no* other deadlines or demands on me!  

I could get to enjoy this approach to weaving...

Bored? Or Tired?

 

Swedish Snowflake, threaded as two blocks on a 16 shaft loom

I got 17 towels (16 'good', one with a threading error) off the warp I just cut off the loom yesterday.  There was still some warp left on the beam, but I would have been playing 'yarn chicken' if I'd tried to weave one more towel on this warp.  So I didn't.

I don't like playing yarn chicken.  I hate that I've wasted my time making something that can't be 'finished' because I ran out of yarn for the warp.  When I weigh the cost of my time (nominally $15/hr because that is the minimum pay in my province) against the cost of the yarn, it seems prudent to preserve my time and 'waste' a bit of yarn.

Especially now when my energy levels are so low.  I have to make every minute I spend at the loom 'count'.

I haven't stripped the leftover warp from the loom yet so I'm not sure how much is actually going into the recycle bin.

Some people get quite 'cross' with this attitude.  For them the issue is financial - they have to dig deep for every yarn purchase, plus they aren't selling (or trying to) what they make.  So, they'd rather spend the currency of their time than 'waste' purchased yarn.

Definitely one of those 'you do you' moments.  Because every person has to weigh where they spend their time, and their money.  And each person has to make the decisions fit their own life - their own financial status, and their own interest level.

I put enough warp onto the loom to nominally make around 20 towels.  On this towel I wove a sample before I started weaving and that sample might have eaten into the warp just enough that I might not have gotten another towel off of it.  As it happens, these towels are a bit larger than my 'standard' and I've been getting 18 towels rather than 20.  

But I'm tired these days, too.  All my health care providers have cautioned me that the brain needs every bit of energy it can steal from the rest of the body in order to heal and to be prepared to have afternoon naps.  Plus I'm still dealing with chromic pain from my SI joint/back injuries and peripheral neuropathy which disrupts my sleep.

So I don't have much patience, or energy to spare.  And since everything goes so slowly, I get tired of what I'm doing.  Plus I'm planning for the next article in the queue and I want to test drive what I plan to do on this warp in case I need to make adjustments for the 'actual' warp for the magazine project.  (If they accept it - it's never a done deal until they actually accept what you've done - and sometimes that all falls apart at the actual compilation stage of the issue under construction.  I never get upset about having an article turned down and I never assume that once I've mailed it away it is going to appear in the magazine.) 

Right now the thought of writing is carrying me forward.  If nothing else, I can (hopefully) write.  But it doesn't have to be for a magazine.  I can write for publication here, if nowhere else.  Writing does seem to be getting easier, but speaking is still difficult and I won't know until August 28, 2026 just how much I will recover my speech.  

By then I will be 76 years old and I have to ask myself if I really need to keep doing what I had been doing?  Even if I enjoyed it.  And I am well aware of the deficiencies of my speech - which makes the thought of doing Zoom presentations very stressful.  

(I gave up travelling to teach a couple years ago.  There were too many issues given that I'm immune compromised and the continuing existence of covid in the population - no, covid is not 'over' - please consider wearing a mask at large indoor events, or choose venues with air filtering?)

So, long story short, I was tired of seeing that warp on the loom; I wasn't sure I had enough yarn to complete one more towel; I was feeling growing pressure to do an actual sample with density and the yarns I wanted to use for the project.  So when I finished towel 17, out came the scissors and off came the web.

Today I strip the loom of the old warp, set up the bobbin rack and begin beaming the next warp.  Given I'm running on about five hours sleep, I may well have a nap this afternoon, too.  

Hydrate.  Rest.  Keep going.  

Winter's Coming!

 

Inspiration is all around us, we just have to stop and look.

With winter creeping ever closer, and the current warp soon coming to an end, I have been mulling over what to do 'next'.  I have plans, but I need to polish them, fine tune them, try to work out the kinks before I ever pick up the shuttle.

I still have over 5 kilos of the singles linen and the priority is to use them up, but what I plan to do next will mean a combination of linen on part of the cotton warp with the rest being woven off with cotton.  

In order to do this as efficiently as possible, I need to make accommodations because the linen will not draw in as much as the cotton.  I'm also trying to show off my 'mastery' and weave squares, which means the density, weave structure and thickness of the yarn have to be 'balanced'.  No mean feat when the two different yarns will weave in differently, so must be adjusted individually.

Yesterday I was weaving (up to about 30 minutes, twice a day, now) so I had time to think through the options.  If I do this, that will likely be the result.  How do I move forward?  What do I shift to get closer to my goal of 'perfect' beat?  Since I'm using two different yarns to make two different cloths, can I do both on the same warp?  If so, what accommodation do I need to make when I change from the linen to the cotton weft?

So I came up with A Plan, with an option B if it doesn't work.  Now I have to re-check my draft because my fall back plan is to change the density, and that will change the width of the warp in the reed (or wind up with a finished object 'too large').

For now I will keep picking away at the current warp and let the next warp simmer in the back of my brain.  The part that designs textiles seems to be largely intact, which is a relief.  Or, at least, I think it is.  The thought processes getting this next warp ready seems like my 'usual'.  My writing is getting 'better', although I still find holes where a word I intended to use dropped out of my conscious thought process, then out of the documents I'm trying to write.  :(

Still having trouble speaking, however, so I find myself avoiding in being in situations where I have to talk for more than a few minutes.  Hopefully once I start feeling a bit better physically, I'll feel more like visiting with others.  But I'm not driving yet, either, and probably won't be until spring.

I might just 'hibernate' for the winter and see if I feel up to being more social when spring comes back.

What The Future Holds

 

books available at blurb

My website is being rebuilt, in part because I want to remove the Zoom/remote presentations.  While I always enjoy doing these presentations - or did - I am not comfortable trying to speak for two, or even one, hour.

The face plant and subsequent brain bleed (that pooled in the speech centre of my brain) has left me groping for words.  Now, most people tell me that they would not know there was anything 'wrong' with me, but all of those people didn't know me before the injury.  More importantly, *I* know I am not at my best and I don't want to attempt to present an info dense seminar not knowing if I can make it through doing it.

The surgeon was very happy with my progress, but could not guarantee that I will recover my speech to where it was previous to the fall, so I made the (difficult) decision to stop doing 'in person' presentations.

However, I did write 3 books (4 if you count the 'bio', available in my ko-fi shop as a pdf only), in which I presented much of the information that is in the on line seminars.  And, there is this blog, not to mention people can email me to ask questions.  Writing is getting easier, although the grammar is still a bit off as my brain is rather like Swiss cheese - lots of holes in it.  But because it's written, I can write out an answer and then proof read it and hopefully catch any sink holes before I hit 'send'.

There are also my video classes at School of Sweet Georgia and Long Thread Media.  I did 'workshops' for each on wet finishing.  

For people in the US - the books are printed in the US so the price won't change for you as they won't be subject to the new tariffs that your new president is promising.

My towels, however, will likely be included in the 'tariffs' and my prices listed in Canadian dollars will go up if that is the case.  

PS - the Magic in the Water; wet finishing handwovens is not the version with the samples.  Rather I took close up photos of all the samples to include.  The format is 'magazine'.  The Intentional Weaver is hardback and Stories from the Matrix is soft cover.

Towel Posted

 

100% cotton towel

Finally found the spoons to get the latest towels posted to my ko-fi shop.  These are part of the group that I used the 6/2 cotton on, and I toyed with keeping them.  Truth to tell, pretty much all of my smaller towels are handwoven, now - I had to ask myself if I truly needed more.  

But the past couple of weeks were also fraught with all sorts of medical appointments, plus I finally gathered up enough energy to deal with getting my hair cut - something that was woefully long beyond needing to be done.

I rarely post photos of myself.  I have what is called 'bitchy resting face'.  My 'neutral' expression is one that appears to be 'stern' or 'bitchy'.  The older I've gotten, the more this has increased - wrinkles, lines in my face, etc., have gotten more prominent.  

But I was waiting in the truck for Doug to finish picking up a few things from Costco (I had zero energy left after a very busy day with *lots* of talking - something I still find difficult) and decided to post a photo of myself to Facebook with my freshly shorn hair.

Most of the people who commented on my post were kind, and encouraging.  If they are regular readers of this blog, they are well aware of what I have been going through and they left lovely comments.

Two (so far) urged me to smile.  I nearly wept.  By that point I was just barely able to hold my head up, every energy spoon used up just doing a few errands that I could have managed without thinking about, just months ago.

There is a saying going round that chronically ill people are not faking their condition, they are faking being 'well'.

Right now?  There is a whole lot of 'fake it until you make it' going on in my life.

The brain bleed on top of the back issues (plus the other medical conditions) I was dealing with before I fell had been 'manageable'.   Just.

The face plant and brain bleed I had on August 28 nearly killed me.  At the very least it might have left me in rehab for months, with no clue how much of a recovery I might make.  

Instead, the surgeon pointed out that I did not go to rehab, but I was sent home.  The fact that I was already weaving, able to begin writing again (with copious help from a dear friend) was almost a minor miracle.

But almost every medical professional I've talked to after Aug. 28 have told me that a brain injury like this (17mm when they saw the CT scan in Vancouver) usually leaves people severely disabled.  The recovery such a severe injury to the brain takes up every bit of energy as the brain tries to heal itself.

When did society begin insisting that people smile for a photo?  If you look at early photos, no one is smiling.  When did that switch?  I don't know, truly.  

My mother was a great one for always putting a happy face on, no matter what was going on in her life.  I'm not inclined to do that, which makes me a bit of a wet blanket, I suppose.  

Anyway, I am here, still weaving (as best I can), hoping to write more so I can keep teaching.

In the meantime, the world is going through a very tough time.  If you live in the US and have been thinking of buying some of my towels, you should be aware that your new president has promised to enact legislation that will make *every* thing coming into the country, be charged a 'tariff'.  Right now you get a currency exchange 'discount' of about 30%, which makes my prices a lot lower than they appear on the ko-fi site.  

I suggest that if you were thinking of buying some of my towels anytime soon, now would be a good time.

 

10.5 Weeks

 

It is now 10.5 weeks since falling and the new reality I am living.  It has been a time of transition, including anger, acceptance (still working on that one) and adjustments.  It has been a time of self examination and acceptance (still working on that one, too.)

In light of the surgeon's comments and explanations of my personal 'state' - and how much worse it might have been - I have been working more on acceptance and gratitude.  And finding out what I can realistically accomplish.

I am working on re-gaining my weaving, in terms of what I can do without setting myself 'back' in the process.  In that regard, I am making slow steps, hindered by the on-going damage to my lower back.  Truth to tell, the brain injury is not standing in my way of weaving - it is the SI joint and damaged discs that are actually holding me back in my progress.  So I balance myself between the desire to get back to 'normal', knowing that my new 'normal' is going to be different than it was.

But I am slowly adding a couple of minutes of weaving to my sessions, noting what seems to work and what doesn't.

I have fine tuned the draft for the next warp.  I thought it was going to take to the end of this month to get the current warp off, in part because I had So Many appointments the past couple of weeks.  However, I'm done with the long list of them, and on the whole, the news is mostly 'good'.

Since I have been increasing the duration of my weaving sessions, the beam is filling at a nice steady rate, and yesterday I cut off the 2nd third, tied on and began the final third.  And it's only the 9th of November.  I will finish this warp long before the end of the month.

Such small 'victories' are balm to my battered soul.  And so I worked on polishing the next draft, and thinking through the coming months - what I might accomplish, and what was clearly beyond my ability to do - at this time.  But also?  Being willing to adjust and change my plans depending on how things continue to go.

I still have difficulty speaking, although people who don't know me well, tell me that they can't really tell.  But at this point in time I am considering the public, in person (via Zoom) part of my 'career' over.  Instead, with support of a friend, I am pitching ideas to a magazine, who appear to want to include my thoughts.  However, I am continuing with this effort fully aware that I'm working very hard to write, and ultimately they may decide I am not up to their standards.  OTOH, I told my spouse last night, they are aspects of weaving that I want to look at more closely, so I will investigate the topics for my own sake and not be terribly disappointed if they don't pass muster with the magazine.

Ultimately, I am now about to set off on the path I foresaw when I 'retired' in 2020 - to look at weaving with an eye to learn more about it.  I had no idea what I would do with that knowledge, but here, now, comes a new magazine that wants that kind of deep dive.  Now, I just have to do a good job in first investigating, then writing up my conclusions.

Time will tell.

Leaders

 

Life, as we know it, is going to change.  

How?  We don't know - yet.   But we have been 'warned' what is about to become a priority in our lives, and what is not.  We will have to navigate our way through to some kind of coping and managing of the stress of the new world view that is coming our way.

Early in my career I started to assess the various bits of advice I was getting from different people.  The first thing I had to do was weigh the value of their suggestions in view of my personal goals.

The more I learned, the more I had to sift, and the more I tried to put my own personal bits of advice into context.

I learned to stand back and let people be, not insist that they do things 'my way'.  To give them suggestions to try.  To encourage them to find their own best processes.

As we enter a new world view with politicians everywhere sliding ever more to the 'right', someone observed that it was 'scary to have him lead me'.

But here's the thing.  A politician can only 'lead' an individual as far as the individual is willing to go.

I have plenty of practice taking advice from others, deciding if what they are advising is true to my personal set of values.  And then following that set of guidelines or my own moral compass.

So I will continue to light candles for people.  I will do my utmost to approach people with kindness.  To accept people who are different from me.  Since I was raised a Christian, I will ask What Would Jesus Do and then do that, even though I'm no longer a church going person.   (Yes, I still have a bible.)

We are all going to have to figure out how we go forward.  If you need light, I will light a candle for you.

Roller Coaster Ride Continues

 

Life's roller ride continues...

There are so many people who are struggling with their particular roller coaster ride of life.  I am slowly pulling myself out of the funk I got into after the brain surgery.  I'll be clear, here, I'm still struggling with the fall out of the fall down.

My life, already truncated by avoiding the plague (don't @ me telling me covid is gone away - it isn't - and what reporting anyone can find about it tends to minimize it, and refers to 'after covid' - drives me crazy.)

Last week I went shopping because my house sweater was falling apart, and we donned our masks before we left the vehicle, in part because we are only just over a nasty cough I caught in the hospital (thank goodness it was 'only' a cold, not covid!), we walked over to the store.

As we reached the door, a man coming out did a second take and grinning at the two of us said 'So, you're afraid of the fresh air?'

Doug and I both said 'yes' and ignored him.  

This week I have the six month check up at the cancer clinic.  I have to be honest here - after the year I've had I am seriously worried that they are going to tell me it's come back.  :(

Yesterday I turned down a zoom presentation with a presentation date of autumn 2025, spring 2026.  After the surgeon told me last week that I may never, entirely, recover my speech, I turned it down.  The little bit I was making doing seminars wasn't enough to cover my studio expenses, but it helped.  Now even that has been cancelled.

However, I have a supportive friend who offered to alpha read for me, so I have been in touch with a magazine and suggested some content for them.  That, at least, is something on my own time, and with my friend alpha reading feedback, I feel I can keep writing.

To all those people are struggling with the current conditions (including the politics), I send light and love.  If you see someone struggling, give them a hand, if you can, or even just a virtual hug.  And remember, lighting someone else's candle does not diminish yours...

Opinions

 

Most 'hobbies' seem to come with rules/opinions formed by the people who practice the hobby in question.  All of them have 'opinions', and sometimes those opinions are at the complete opposite to each other.  The problem is when those 'opinions' turn into concrete 'rules'.

Every craft has this phenomenon, and generally they are held fast by the people who follow them.  Every textile craft I have practiced (and I have done quite a few) has those hard and fast 'rules' that some people follow religiously and others ignore.

It is why most times when I answer a question I begin by saying 'it depends'.

I answer questions with the life experience I have using my 'standard' techniques.  Frequently I will answer a question without specifying what *I* mean in the context of *my* work.  And the questioner will respond with *their* context, and then I will have to say to them that in their circumstance they need to do what gets them their best results.

Even wet finishing - I will sometimes clarifying that there are circumstances when no, you don't have to wet finish, but if you are ever going to get your cloth wet, you should find out what happens to it when you do that.

I will explain that no, you don't have to apply a hard press, but you should try it to find out what happens if you do.  IOW, sample.

The sample above (from Magic in the Water) has not been hard pressed, but I have applied the press to a sample to find out what happens.  Instead of the rounded 'furrows' you get irregular pleats.  

So I try to remember that not everyone is doing what I do, their 'reality' may be different from mine, and to give as thorough an explanation as I can, depending on the medium I'm using to communicate.  And yet, I still see people sharply disagreeing with me about certain techniques or tools I say I use.

But here's the thing.  I don't care what someone does.  They asked a question, I answered what it is that *I* do.  They then have to choose what is best for *them* - whether they weave with a particular yarn, or warp their loom front to back/back to front, hold their shuttle underhand or overhand.  When someone asks me for my answer, I give it.  I don't come over to your studio and force you to follow what I do!

Because I have preferences that someone else may not.  Looms are different, yarns are different, people are different - we all have to figure out what works and does not in order to create the cloth we want to produce.

magic-in-the-water

Nostalgia

 

This somewhat out of focus photo is of my craft fair booth from one of the shows I used to do every year.

I confess I am somewhat nostalgic right now because the big craft fair here is happening this weekend.  And I miss seeing the people that would come by to look at what I had made and - potentially - buy something.

But this year, more than ever, I am grateful that I didn't have to load up everything, drag it to the hall, then stand all day making 'nice'.  It would have been impossible with the brain bleed and how little energy I have.

So, I am grateful my things will be there, but as part of the fibre arts guild booth.  Truth be told, I still have lots, but I cannot take over the guild booth - they must display the work of ALL the guild members, not just one or two.

The guild members have been making things all year and they will have a nice full display - this I know without actually going down there.  The local guild members are enthusiastic and talented.  I'm happy they will take my things, too.

But I need to keep selling things.  So, once the show is over, I guess I will have to go through my stuff and start posting things to my ko-fi shop.  My rate of production is way lower, compared to even my 'retirement' weaving rate before the bleed.  But my body is recovering and I'm able to pick up the pace a bit.  

Not to mention I still have ideas I want to explore, and yarn that needs weaving up.  But as I look around my store room, there are actual spaces on the shelves, and I've put some things that were on the floor up on the shelves.  I have wider and fewer 'goat trails' through the studio.  Still too much stuff, but when I remember what my studio looked like in November 2019, I have done a good job of weaving down the yarn.

One of the hardest things to do selling online is to get good colour representation.  Especially during the winter and the string of grey dreary days we get now, as climate change ramps up.  But maybe next week after the appointments with the cancer clinic (please, please, please, let the cancer continue to be in remission!) and the eye doctor, I'll be feeling well enough to start dealing with trying to upload more items to my ko-fi shop.

My daily list is very short these days because I have so little energy.  Everyone tells me all my energy is going into recovery, and after talking to the surgeon, I am now realizing how lucky I am and how I need to let my body take all the energy it needs so that I will recover (more).  The surgeon said the biggest rate of recovery will happen in the 12 months after the injury, and then it will slow for about another 12 months.  After that, what I have and where I am, is what I will live with.  And that level may be less than where I was when I fell.  In the meantime, I need to work at recovery as my priority.

So I rest, even when I'd rather be doing *something*, because I need my body to heal as much as it can.  And now I have been officially been told it will be about 24 months, I need to learn to be patient (ha!) and let my body do what it needs to do.  Because this injury isn't the only thing I need to factor into my life, it's just the sauce on top of what I was already dealing with.

I'm hoping to write more - in part because I have a good support person who will help me - and it seems I still have things I want to say.  And writing is the best way for me to say them.

With that, I'm going to start my day and go weave for 20 minutes.  I'm up to two 20 minute sessions a day (unless I have too many appointments), hoping to hit 45 minutes a session by the end of the year.  I'm going slowly, trying not to rush or push.  And hoping 2025 will be a better year than the past few have been.